


The season of Apple Blossom and the Smell of the Sea

by gamerkitty6274



Category: Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Alternate Title: Ruby's life is full of gays, Angst, Depression, Fluff and Angst, Hanamaru has great taste, Kinda hurt/comfort but its more like hurt/hurt, Ruby is not so innocent, Unrequited Love, Waitress!Dia, Waitress!Kanan, Waitress!You, You has very problematic parents, You's mom is so striiiict, basically pretty much every ship in sunshine, depressed You, horrible writing by me, i shouldn't be starting this when i have to write other stuff, mostly angst, multicrushing, oh well, ruby is a sad soul, the rubymaru angst in here is real tho, yoshiko is a little too imaginative
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-20
Updated: 2017-05-27
Packaged: 2018-10-22 11:58:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10696551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gamerkitty6274/pseuds/gamerkitty6274
Summary: You wanted to scream. She wanted to turn round and run down the corridor crying and beg Chika to look at her. She wanted to pull her closer and whisper "I'm sorry" into her ear a thousand times. She wanted Chika to look at her and smile and say those three magic words. But You didn't do it, (she was going to regret it) because however much it hurt for her inside, she was going to let Chika be happy. That was her motto. Whenever something bad happened to her, she just thought about how it would make others happy and move on. Always move on.





	1. Prologue: Watanabe You is a coward

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lord_Byron_Mudkippington](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_Byron_Mudkippington/gifts).



> My (oriinally supposed to be first) third love live fic, and boy does it have a lot of ships. (I love torturing my favourite members with angst)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You thought she knew pain, but the bitter tears that fell to the floor with every step she took was nowhere near it.

You wanted to scream. She wanted to turn round and run down the beach crying and  _beg_ Chika to look at her instead of Riko. She wanted to pull her closer and whisper "I'm sorry" into her ear a thousand times. She wanted Chika to look at her and smile and say those three magic words. But You didn't do it, (she said to herself, because she hated people who idndulged in self-pity; she hated herself) because however much it hurt for her inside, she was going to let Chika be happy. That was her motto. Whenever something bad happened to her, she just thought about how it would make others happy and move on. Always move on. Always move on, because nothing happens if all you do is stand around and mope. You tells herself that because that's what Chika said, and thinking about Chika brought her comfort (but this time it only brought pain).

That motto had stuck with her since the day Chika decided to try every club in their middle school  stuck with her the day she found Kanan crying alone on the sand after running away from Chika; the day her father lost his brother to the sea they both loved; the day Riko arrived and You tried so hard ( _so hard_ ) not to be jealous, to not ruin her first day in Uchiura. And that motto stuck with her now as she stood on the beach, turning away from the one thing that could solve all her problems, because she was too scared to face the truth (You're a coward, Watanabe You).

"Riko-chan. What is it?"

The words came out harsher than she expected than to, and it's clear on Riko's face because she flinches and brushes her hair back with a hand and You tries to suppress the small part of her that felt _happy_ for her friend's pain.  "You-chan... I just wanted to know, you know... Are you really ok with this? I don't want to sound like I'm trying to make you feel bad on purpose, honest, I wouldn't...

Her voice cracks and You almost chokes on her reply. The small part of her is cheering now, threatening to creep up her throat any second.  _If I would just let go, I could be happy with the person I love,_ it whispered. But she couldn't, because You Watanabe was a coward and she would never dare to face up to Riko. Especially when she wasn't even doing anything wrong(Her mother said she was too soft, she needed to be able to stand up, she needed to be heard). She was always too scared to live up to the guilt that creeped up behind each laugh.

"You-chan...?"

You looked away and bit down hard on her lip as if that would quash the urge to lash out. She shouldn't. She shouldn't be like this, this... this... this sick in the head. But the voice was louder, louder than her thoughts, louder than Riko's concerned voice ( _You can tell her to stay away stay away don't let her take chika from you she's a monster you can't)-_

"Stop."

"What?" 

"Stop." The brunette said quickly, attempting a smile. "Don't put yourself through this much trouble."

"But-" 

"Please. I- I want you to be happy too, you know? If it makes you happy... If it makes Chika happy... then, I'm happy too." _I guess._  "So please... Please stop!" And she ran, she ran up the steps and sprinted down the streets, each step becoming steadily more heavy until all she could do was lean against a signpost and cry between gasps for breath; it hurt, it really did.

"You're a coward, Watanabe You." she whispered into the night.

  _I guess this is why they call it heartbreak_ , _because it really does feel like your heart is breaking_.


	2. A confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby and Hanamaru in a cafe in Numazu. Nothing could go wrong, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edittting (old ver was cringey as heck)

It hadn't been Ruby's original plan to go shopping in Numazu that day, not with what she had planned, but Hanamaru had wanted to get some lip balm, so Ruby took her to a nearby healthy & beauty shop. It was one of those large, fancy stores inside a shopping centre, the entrance being made of two regular glass doors and one of those rotating doors, which the temple girl was seemingly fascinated with. Ruby couldn't help but giggle at the sight of her spinning round and round in the door with a wonderous look on her face. 

"It's the future, zura!" Hanamaru's muffled voice reached through the glass. Ruby sighed, but it was a happy one. She walked over to the door and took her by the hand, taking her away from the door and into the store. The brunette's eyes were still wide with awe as they went in, taking in the bright, orderly insides of the shop. "It's the future, Ruby-chan~!" She squealed, and Ruby for once agreed- it really was a very modern shop filled with coloured lights and scented electronic diffusers (at least that was what Dia called them.)

"Maru-chan, this way!" Ruby tugged at her best friend's sleeve as she leaned closer to investigate the advertising screen near a row of nail polish. The lip balm section was stacked full of different shapes and scents. It probably matched the amount of different perfume scents they had, Ruby thought. Who knew there could be so many different lip balms?

"Mmm... This one smells really nice, zura! But this one is pink... This one is really nice too! But I like the smell of flowers... I like peaches too! What should I do, Ruby-chan..." Hanamaru fretted. It was one of the cutest things about her, Ruby thought happily, how she got worried so easily and those adorable expressions she made- before realising she sounded like a complete and utter creep.  _Honestly Ruby,_  said the logical part of her mind (the part that always sounded like Dia) what _would people think if they knew you thought about your best friend- no, crush- this way?_ She scolded herself. _But then, I guess this is what it means to be in love_.

"I think you should have that one." The redhead leaned over to point at a small, round, pink tub of lip balm with a flowery scent with a lid in the shape of a rose. "Hanamaru-chan smells better with flowers!" She suddenly realised what she just said. "Ah, I mean you always smell nice, but-"

"It's okay, Ruby-chan, I get it." Hanamaru smiled warmly and Ruby blushed. "Why don't you pick out some for yourself, zura?"

"Oh... I can't choose... Onee-chan says I shouldn't pick anything too expensive or too strong."

"Don't worry, zura! I'm sure Dia won't mind." It was Hanamaru's turn to pick out something for Ruby. Her hand glossed over a  few tubes of _Strawberry Panic,_  and a small stick of _Spring Showers_ before landing on a small, red container with the words _Apple Blossom Season_  written on in elegant silver writing. "Maru thinks you'll smell nicest in this!

There was something vaguely familiar about the scent, which Ruby couldn't figure out until she realised it had been floating around Uchiura for the past week or so; Despite it being a seaside town, there were a number of apple orchards as well as mikan ones, and last week had marked the beginning of summer- and the beginning of the flowering season. With a nod, they  went to pay.

 

 

Hanamaru had been right in her price estimation, and they ended up having enough money to go to AZALEA, a beautiful cafe with flowers they both loved. Dia also worked here, which meant Ruby got a discount almost whenever she went (Hanamaru had been very envious of this when she first found out).

"Ah, Ruby-chan, welcome back!" The cashier, Kanan greeted her. Kanan was a friend of Dia's, with long blue hair, purple eyes and (Ruby never dared to think about this near Dia) a nature which would, in Ruby's opinion, make an excellent mother."And Maru-chan too!"

"Hi, Kanan-chan!" Ruby smiled, while Hanamaru (doing her best to not stare) simply stuttered a "K-k- kanan-senpai!" Instinctively, some small part of Ruby scowled in jealousy, but she did her best to ignore it- Hanamaru had always been like that around pretty girls, and she had always stayed loyal to Ruby as best friends then. Ruby bit her lip, but smiled, and gave her a nudge and whispered, "Maru, your gayness is showing."

"There isn't anyone here now, so feel free to sit anywhere. We have a new waitress today so you don't have to order at the counter." Kanan gave them a friendly smile and a wink, though Ruby wasn't sure what it meant.

"Who is she, zu-" But before Hanamaru could finish, a blur of black and white and brown rushed from the back room and came to a stop in front of them. It was a girl, older than Ruby but younger than Dia, with short brown hair, blue eyes, and rather noticable muscles, though she was slim rather than bulky. However, she was large in another area Ruby was not slow to notice. It wasn't the biggest she'd ever seen, but it was definitely in the top ten (after all, Hanamaru also had some sizable ones of her own...) and it was further emphasised by the cute maid costume she wore. She looked over at Hanamaru, who gaped, and she felt the jealous part of her begin to snarl. _No, Ruby, don't be like that... it's natural for people to be like that around pretty girls..._

"Hi! Watanabe You, at your service! Yousoro!" You did a salute, smiling at them. Ruby exchanged a confused look with Hanamaru, who shrugged. You looked equally confused, before Kanan whispered in her ear and she blushed. "Sorry. My dad's a sailor, so saluting has kinda become a habit."

"Well, I'll leave you to it then, You-chan." The third-year winked again before heading into the kitchens. Ruby and Hanamaru sat down at one of the window tables, the kind with soft couches instead of chairs. It had a nice view of the street outside, along with the flowers on the windowsill.

"What would you two like to order?" You asked, notepad in hand. 

"Daily special please!" Ruby looked at Hanamaru. "What about you, Maru-chan?" The brunette didn't seem to notice. Instead, she was looking at their waitress- not a gawking-at-her-attractiveness look (thankfully) but more of a searching look, like who-are-you or what-are-you-thinking? "Hey, Hanamaru-chan?"

"Woah, Kunikida-san?" You blinked, the look on her face dawning into recognition. "I've never seen you outside of school!"

"Zu-zura..." Hanamaru blinked back, tilting her head and looking carefully, and yelped in surprise. "W-Watanabe-senpai! What are you doing here?"

"Hm? You know You?" Kanan had come back with a plate of donuts and shoved it under the counter, but not before taking out four of them and handing them one each. "Not a word to Dia about this, Ruby-chan, okay?" She asked, as she motioned for You to grab their orders.

"I won't tell Onee-chan." Ruby nodded more solemnly than she would've liked it to be. After all, it was free food... But Dia never let Ruby have anything from Azalea for free- She called it "sponsoring the company", though Ruby reminded her Azalea wasn't exactly a company.

"Oh... Um, she's been helping me with my homework recently..." Hanamaru said absent-mindedly, before chowing down her donut at supersonic speed after Kanan gave her a knowing look. "Can I have another, zura?"

"Sure, we can just bake a fresh batch if anyone else comes." Kanan said from behind the counter, with an almost lazy grin. "Just try not to eat more than three in the span of ten minutes, that much sugar intake can't be good for you."

Just then, You came back with two small baskets of mini cinnamon rolls. She set one before each of them with a smile and almost raised her hand in a salute before stopping herself. "Sorry about that, I keep forgetting to be professional!" She smiled apologetically. "Anything else?"

 

Ruby shook her head, and You left the table, but not before assuring them that they could call on her whenever they needed to. She waited until Hanamaru had finished her first cinnamon roll to speak, rummaging in her bag for a pack of small, neatly folded note cards in case she forgot something. Hopefully, it would all go to plan... She squeezed the note cards tightly, and took a deep breath when suddenly, Hanamaru began.

"Ruby-chan, can I... tell you something, zura?" She asked shyly, and Ruby's heart began pounding. _Is this... what I think it is?_ Ruby could feel her cheeks turning red, and she nodded, in case she said the wrong thing. Ruby glanced around the room. Kanan was chatting to You about how to deal with socially awkward customers, and there was no sign of anyone else coming. Hanamaru followed her gaze, before leaning in and whispered.

"I think I'm in love..."

Ruby's heart was practically hammering against her chest, and her mind bubbled with anticipation. Maru looked round again, before continuing, and Ruby felt as though she was going to burst, despite waiting for only about ten seconds.  _Say it now say it now say it now-_

"With Yoshiko-chan."


End file.
